White      - Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White, the only thing that
may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker. When confronted by
something nasty, your reaction will probably be "Oh my God! This can't be happening to
me."    Basically you are wholly unaware of your surroundings. You may be asleep,
putting on makeup, have your Ipod earbuds blaring in your ear. You are sheep
walking around the meadow unaware of the wolf at the edge of the trees that is
watching. These people make-up 90% of the victims.

Yellow     - Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your mindset is that "today could
be the day I may have to defend myself." You are simply aware that the world is a
potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary.
You use your eyes and ears, and realize that "I may have to SHOOT today." You don't
have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow.
You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among
people you don't know. You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are
able to "Watch your six." (In aviation 12 o'clock refers to the direction in front of the
aircraft's nose. Six o'clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.) In Yellow, you are "taking
in" surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree
radar sweep. As Cooper put it, "I might have to shoot."   This is the mindset we must be in at all waking moments. Very relaxed, head on a swivel, eyes scanning for potential threats. This also means not parking in dark alleyways or the dark parts of the parking lot. You are aware of your 360 degree
environment.

Orange      - Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has gotten your attention. Your
radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is
a threat (but you do not drop your six). Your mindset shifts to "I may have to shoot HIM
today." In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: "If that goblin does 'x', I will need
to stop him." Your pistol usually remains holstered in this state. Staying in Orange can
be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat
proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow. Cooper described this as "I
might have to shoot HIM," referring to the specific target which has caused the escalation
in alert status.      Your radar has picked up someone or something that is not right. You have located a threat. You will focus on this treat but you must keep your 360 degree awareness because wolves travel in packs. It is here where you draw a line in the sand. "If the Bad Guy does ____, then I will stop him by doing _____." This is where you take hurried steps to avoid any and all encounters if at all possible.

Red      - Fight for your life. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. If "X" happens I will shoot that person.     The Bad Guy is here and it is happening now. You will fight for your life by stopping the threat until he is a threat no longer and/or you have time to flee. Call 911 and plan for what to do when the police arrive.